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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912001">126 Cowboys</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide'>Annide</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Good Things Happen Bingo [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday Party, Fluff, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:56:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912001</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Judd's birthday and everyone gathers to celebrate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Grace Ryder/Judd Ryder (9-1-1 Lone Star)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Good Things Happen Bingo [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>126 Cowboys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite/gifts">tiniestmite</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestmite">Jamie</a>'s birthday. Also a fill for the Birthday Party square of my Good Things Happen Bingo card. I hope you enjoy this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                “What are you doing?”</p><p>Carlos stood in front of the bed examining his costume which he’d spread out over it. TK walked closer, his brows furrowed.</p><p>                “I’m making sure I’m not missing anything.”</p><p>                “That’s a Woody costume.”</p><p>                “Yes? Woody is a cowboy.”</p><p>                “I was going to be Woody!”</p><p>                “I said it first, and I got the costume first.”</p><p>                “Really? I was on shift. And I don’t think you accepting my invitation to be my plus one to Judd’s cowboy themed birthday party counts as ‘saying it first’.”</p><p>Carlos smiled and took a few steps toward his boyfriend. He snaked his arms around his hips, let them rest on his lower back and pulled him closer.</p><p>                “You made me watch Toy Story again just the other night, obviously the first cowboy on my mind would be Woody. You didn’t say anything and the costume fits me perfectly.”</p><p>                “You better be so damn hot in that costume that it makes it hard not to duck out early.”</p><p>                “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”</p><p>                “Fine then, I’ll be Buzz.”</p><p>                “Buzz isn’t a cowboy, why don’t you be Jessie?”</p><p>                “Because we all know the first Toy Story is the best. Like all Disney movies, the OG beats all the sequels.”</p><p>                “Is this about Pocahontas 2 again? I swear next time we have dinner with your parents, I’m giving them a good talk about what movies were or weren’t appropriate to make you watch as a kid.”</p><p>                “Thank you, they deserve it.”</p><p>                “How is your dad, by the way?”</p><p>                “Good, confident about the surgery. Kinda bummed about missing the party, but there’ll be plenty more.”</p><p>                “There will.”</p><p>Carlos locked their lips together. Somehow they ended up on the bed and part of him was convinced TK did it on purpose, to rumple his costume a bit as revenge for picking it first. But he didn’t mind, just as long as he had him here, in his arms, safe and happy.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>                “Cartoons? You both picked cartoon characters? I knew I was the only adult on this team.”</p><p>Marjan wasn’t really surprised when she met Paul and Mateo in front of the Ryders’ house.</p><p>                “Who else was I supposed to dress as? Lucky Luke is great at adapting himself to a situation just like me. Plus, he shoots faster than his shadow and helps people without asking for anything in return, not even a party. There is no better cowboy.”</p><p>                “Annie Oakley could out shoot Lucky Luke.”</p><p>                “Look, she’s amazing, you picked a great costume, but no. Lucky Luke can’t be beat. Maybe if he were real, but not within the rules of his cartoon.”</p><p>                “Yosemite Sam is a cartoon too, maybe he could beat Lucky Luke.”</p><p>                “No.” Marjan and Paul said together.</p><p>                “I can’t believe that’s the costume you chose, you look ridiculous.” Paul rang the doorbell.</p><p>                “I think we should’ve expected something like that,” Marjan said.</p><p>Nancy opened the door. She had a fake moustache to go along with her costume and she looked amazing with the cowboy hat, the vest and the boots.</p><p>                “Are you Doc Holliday?”</p><p>                “Yes, Paul, thank you. Judd and Grace didn’t recognise him.”</p><p>                “Well, I am a fan of Wynonna Earp. Do you know the show?”</p><p>                “It’s what inspired the costume.”</p><p>                “Then, you should join our watch party. It’s Marjan, TK, Carlos and I, every Friday night. We take turns hosting, you in?”</p><p>                “Of course I am!”</p><p>                “Hey, why was I not invited?” Mateo complained.</p><p>                “I asked you and you said you’d never heard of it before. Catch up and you can come.” Marjan pulled down his giant hat over his eyes and walked inside.</p><p>Paul and Nancy laughed as Mateo fixed his costume and they all followed her in and through the house to the yard. Judd had already started barbecuing and it smelled amazing.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>                “I should have known nobody would take this seriously the minute I saw you put on that Zoë Washburne costume.”</p><p>Charles, dressed as Bass Reeves, complained when they finally made it to the party. The girls hadn’t been all that enthusiastic about a visit with the grandparents and they’d ended up being late. It seemed, however, that the party wasn’t in full blown yet. Some people were eating, but Judd was still at the barbecue.</p><p>                “Judd and Grace are dressed as Han and Leia. Aren’t they the ones who set the cowboy theme?”</p><p>                “The 126 as a whole did, we thought it’d be a fun way to celebrate Cowboy Judd getting older,” Tommy explained. “And, well, Star Wars is sort of like a space western, so is Firefly. You said yourself that I look badass.”</p><p>                “Easy to look what you are, but yes, you are gorgeous,” Charles pulled her closer and deposited a soft kiss on her cheek. “Tell me though, how is Buzz Lightyear a cowboy?”</p><p>                “He’s not. Who dressed up as Buzz Lightyear?”</p><p>                “Your new paramedic.”</p><p>He pointed across the yard toward TK who stood with Nancy, Michelle, Paul and a cop Tommy had seen on a few calls. It must’ve been Carlos, the infamous boyfriend she had yet to meet, and he’d come as Woody.</p><p>                “You know, honey, some people think Woody and Buzz could be a couple. I guess TK’s boyfriend beat him to the cowboy.”</p><p>Tommy and Charles joined the others to eat. Then everyone chipped in to help make space so they could play games.</p><p>                “Alright,” Judd grabbed everyone’s attention. “Calamity Jane here said she’d be our judge, leader, whatever you want to call it, so from now on, we all gotta listen to her.”</p><p>Everyone laughed and Michelle stepped forward.</p><p>                “We’ll split up into two teams. It’ll be firefighters against paramedics. Couples stay together to make teams even, so Grace will join the firefighters, Charles and Carlos are with the paramedics.”</p><p>                “Wow, way to rub it in that I’m the only single paramedic here,” Nancy said as she moved to one side with the rest of her team. “Also, seems unfair to put all the sickly competitive people in the same team.”</p><p>                “Already admitting defeat, how sad,” Marjan pretended to pout.</p><p>                “We’ll also pair people against each other to keep things fair,” Michelle continued with the rules. “Every time the person you’re paired with drinks, you drink. It’ll be Judd and Tommy, Grace and Charles, Paul and Carlos, Mateo and Nancy.”</p><p>                “You’re ready to carry your team when they end up too drunk to play, Marwani?” TK teased.</p><p>                “I always carry them, it’s just another day for me. Think you’re up for it, Strand?”</p><p>                “Oh, you’re on.”</p><p>                “You could at least wait before you dismiss us,” Carlos interlocked his fingers with TK’s, “it’s not just a competition between the two of you. You’re talking as though we’re all about to get wasted in the middle of the day. Some of us are driving, we won’t drink that much.”</p><p>                “Alright, how about we get started with horseshoe throwing,” Michelle called everyone back.</p><p>It became evident pretty quickly that the firefighter team was in to win and crushing it, while the paramedics were just having fun. TK seemed to be the only one really trying to compete. Carlos pulled him aside after they lost that first game, leaning their foreheads together.</p><p>                “Babe, try to relax, just have fun.”</p><p>                “But they’re destroying us.”</p><p>                “Yes, because they care about winning. We don’t need that to have fun.”</p><p>                “Guess you’re right, watching you flex those arms to throw things was pretty enjoyable.”</p><p>                “See, let go of the competitiveness, just have a great time like the rest of us.”</p><p>                “They’re taunting us though. We could win, we’re better than them.”</p><p>                “We don’t need to prove anything.”</p><p>                “You’re not one of them anymore,” Nancy chimed in, “jocks want to be the best and win. We just want to do our own thing and are satisfied knowing how great we are without needing everyone else to know it.”</p><p>                “I’ll need to get used to that,” TK said as Michelle gave them a sign they were ready for the next game.</p><p>After their initial defeat, and that talk, the paramedics’ team had a lot more fun. It ended up fairly equal at the end, both teams won about as much as they lost. Paul and Marjan claimed victory despite TK saying it was unfair because he hit his knee against the bench of a picnic table, which supposedly affected his performance in the potato sack relay race. Tommy would argue the astronaut costume was what limited his mobility throughout the entire competition, but she preferred staying out of it. The most important part, besides them all having fun, was that Judd was happy. The wide grin on his face as he looked around at everyone there to celebrate his birthday was all they could ask for.</p><p>Grace, Charles and Carlos went inside for a few minutes. TK had told Tommy all about Grace trying to teach his boyfriend how to bake, but apparently, while an excellent cook, Carlos wasn’t as skilled a baker. Tommy sat with Michelle, happy to get to catch up with her. They hadn’t had much of a chance to do so since she took her spot as captain.</p><p>                “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Judd, happy birthday to you!”</p><p>Everyone joined into singing when the cooks of the group came back out with the cake, then they clapped. Judd’s face flushed, as he wasn’t entirely comfortable being the center of attention, but it was clear in the brightness of his eyes that he was touched.</p><p>                “Thank you. You guys are the best family I could ask for, I’m really grateful for y’all.”</p><p>Judd opened his arms wide and they all gathered for a big group hug. The people and the feeling of home that extended beyond her little family were the things Tommy missed most about being a paramedic. She was glad to have gotten it back.</p>
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